It is ordinarily only a question of time before piles ultimately deteriorate due to infestation, battering, etc. A load-bearing pile that is serviceable more than twenty years may be considered exceptional.
Various methods have been devised for reinforcing deteriorated piles by the aid of concrete splints or collars. U.S. Pat. No. 1,360,986 to Hoopes suggests a method by which a dam is built up around the pile from an excavation at the floor or bottom. Water is pumped out and concrete is poured into a relatively dry form. Underwater excavation is difficult.
More recently, it has been proposed to support a form on the pile itself. Without first removing water from the form, concrete is poured in, causing the water to be displaced. The resultant splint has structural characteristics that may be very substantially compromised. This happens because some undesired mixing with water occurs. The extent of mixing cannot be controlled. Consequently, the structural characteristics of the splint likewise cannot be anticipated.
Seemingly, the intermediate splint method can be improved upon by sealing the form to the pile so that water can be pumped out in preparation for "dry" form pouring. But, once the form is evacuated, very high buoyancy forces tend to destroy the seal. The primary object of the present invention is to provide a simple and practical underwater piling restoration system utilizing a simple yet effective seal for an intermediate pile splint form.